By Joseph Leray
Big things are afoot for the Cardboard Creations, the small team behind Southern-inflected mystery adventure game “Kentucky Route Zero”: they released the first of five episodes for their game earlier this month, are in the process of picking up a Steam Greenlight deal, and are in the running for several awards at this year’s Independent Games Festival.

Phew.

Still, the breakneck pace didn’t keep “Kentucky Route Zero” co-creator Jake Elliott from sitting down for a fascinating interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
Of particular interest are the teams plans for releasing the rest of the game: “We have a time frame. We’re trying to get the last one out a year after the first one came out, so January 2014,” Elliott explained. “That gives us three months for each Act.” A quick bit of finger-counting reveals that the next installment should come out in March or April.

“We spent the last two years immersed in this workflow,” Elliott said, “and it’s like the only thing I know how to do right now. … It feels good, the timeframe feels good. We’ll probably announce release dates as they get closer.”

The entire interview is really good, actually, and touches on the narrative and structural benefits of the episodic gaming trend epitomized by series like Telltale’s “Sam & Max” and “The Walking Dead.” The in-depth piece does have some spoilers in it, but if you haven’t played it yet, what’s keeping you?: the first episode costs less than a stiff drink in most cities.